Divorce litigation changes kids, and the attorney for the child witnesses this change firsthand. In contested custody matters, children watch the conflict between their parents play out in court—and no good comes from it. Some of these cases drag on for years, and the circumstances are toxic for the kids involved.

Shara Goldfarb is an attorney with the Miller Law Group whose practice centers on matrimonial and family law. She has 15-plus years of experience representing children in highly-contested custody matters and observing the devastating impact divorce litigation has on children inspired Shara to shift her practice toward mediation and collaborative law.

Today, Shara sits down with Katherine to discuss her experience as an attorney for the child in contested custody matters. She explains how she served as a counselor for the kids she represented when her assessment of their best interests didn’t align with the child’s position. Shara also addresses the role of a forensic evaluator and describes the many factors a judge considers in making a custody determination. Listen in for insight around the harmful nature of divorce litigation and its impact on the children involved—and learn how mediation and the collaborative divorce model put kids first.

Topics Covered

The role of an attorney for the child in contested custody cases

How Shara served as a counselor for the kids she represented

The case study of siblings who wanted no contact with mother

The age at which a child gets to decide their own fate

How Shara explained her client’s position to the parents, judge

The situations when a forensic evaluator might be called in

The court’s standard to act in the child’s best interests

The factors a judge considers in making custody determinations

How Shara’s experience with litigation led her to mediation

How conflict between parents negatively impacts children

How the collaborative, mediation models puts children first

Who pays for the attorney for the child in contested cases

Why it’s best for parents to come to a resolution on their own

Connect with Shara Goldfarb

Email [email protected]

Connect with Katherine Miller

The Center for Understanding Conflict: http://understandinginconflict.org/

Miller Law Group: https://westchesterfamilylaw.com/

Katherine on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kemiller1

The New Yorker’s Guide to Collaborative Divorce by Katherine Miller: https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorkers-Guide-Collaborative-Divorce/dp/0692496246

Email: [email protected]

Call (914) 738-7765